


best friends and better halves

by jerk3max



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, being outed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 15:19:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12684516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jerk3max/pseuds/jerk3max
Summary: Their relationship was still… new.Both of them knew better than to rush, not wanting a thirty year friendship to turn sour just as they recognized their feelings for eachother.





	best friends and better halves

**Author's Note:**

> ive been working on this for a while. 
> 
> its a slightly more personal-feelings-put-into-fic type of story, just representing all the emotions that come with the territory of being out and being outed.
> 
> whilst neither of them have panic attacks, i get close to describing them, as well as describing a very small depersonalization period. if this is something that could trigger you, please be wary. 
> 
> title is from the song "never meant" by american football. give it a listen, its a very good song.

Their relationship was still… new.

Both of them knew better than to rush, not wanting a thirty year friendship to turn sour just as they recognized their feelings for eachother. 

Rhett described it as a new beginning, like a sapling that takes thirty years to become a tree, and Link says he wants the next thirty to be equally beautiful. Rhett places a slow, awkward kiss on Link's cheek and Link smiles that they have all the time in the world to practice their new affections. 

Link becomes even more tactile than before, reaching for Rhett's hand when they're alone and cuddling close to him as they watch tv. They take turns each night discovering new sleeping positions, and Link finds Rhett enjoys the affection too. Rhett nestles close to Link as his little spoon, and Link kisses his freckles on his back. 

They decide to tell Stevie before anyone else, and she's supportive, as they predicted her to be. She understands their need for privacy as they work through their new and exciting emotions, and she promises to keep them safe.

It's a few months into the relationship before they feel safe enough to hold hands as they walk their dogs together, arms swinging softly between them as they follow the path. They thread their fingers together and Link hums happily and briefly leans on Rhett's shoulder.

It becomes a habit to show small displays of affection, with hand holding and soft kisses when they're close enough, and it almost becomes second nature to show their love. 

They agree to keep it away from the show, however, until they are comfortable, wanting to be certain within themselves before being public. It's a test of patience for them both, and filming always raps up for the day with a kiss before they leave the set. 

They walk their dogs each night clasping each other’s hands, talking about the day and cracking gentle jokes. Rhett talks about space travel a lot, and Link does his best to nod along and encourage him to keep talking. 

One night, exactly four months into their relationship, Rhett walks them both to a nearby park bench and sits them both down, fingers still entwined as they watch the world go by. Then, Rhett tilts Link's chin and kisses him softly, and Link smiles into it and cups Rhett's cheeks. 

“I've been wanting to do that for so long,” Rhett murmurs as he pulls away, and Link smiles and gives him another soft kiss.

“It wasn't our first kiss, dummy,” Link smiles, and Rhett nudges his shoulder.

“I was trying to be romantic with the whole chin tilt thing!” Rhett laughs, “I love you, Link.” 

Link smiles wider and kisses Rhett again, “I love you too, let's go home and eat, I'm starving.”

“Way to ruin the moment, _dummy,_ ” Rhett laughs, standing and holding his hand out for Link to take. “What do you fancy? I'll cook.”

They get a call from Stevie a few hours later, Rhett pulling away from their cuddle in front of the tv to reach his phone. Rhett answers with a joke and Link hears Stevie interrupt him. 

Link frowns and sits up, and Rhett sees his interest and puts the call on speaker. 

“I wouldn't go on Instagram any time soon,guys,” Stevie says, and they share a confused glance as she continues, “It just looks like someone took a picture of you two tonight, it's pretty blurry and bad lighting but it's definitely you two.”

Rhett’s heart sinks into his stomach and Link looks up at him, white as a sheet.

“Does it look like a- uh, an edit, or anything?” Link stutters out, “Maybe it'll get brushed off?”

Stevie sighs a little, “I don't think it will, it'll probably be on twitter in not to long, should I try and message the account? We could try to have it taken down.”

Rhett scratches the back is his head, “I don't know, like you said it'd’ve spread to twitter by now, messaging them would probably just make it worse, anyway.”

“I'll get Becca and Chase to help me with damage control, we’ll try and sort this out but just be ready to have to talk about this,” Stevie says. “I know you wanted to wait but we don't have a choice. We have the weekend to plan, and we can shift the schedule and maybe post something Monday?”

Link nods and sighs, “Sounds good, Stevie, hopefully it'll go away before then.”

“Let's hope so, for your guys’ sake, sorry about this,” Stevie says, there's a beat, and she clears her throat, “I'll keep you updated, goodnight guys.”

“Night, Stevie,” Rhett says, watching Stevie hang up before dropping his phone onto the couch and sighing loudly. He runs a hand through his hair and finally makes eye contact with Link.

Link's on the verge of tears, worrying his lip with his teeth and fidgeting his hands. Rhett rubs his arm and pulls him into a hug, and Link holds him tight.

“They're handling it, let's just try and sleep on it and deal with it in the morning, okay?” Rhett says, and Link nods slightly.

Rhett turns the television off and holds Link's hand as they walk upstairs. He feels like crying too. 

Link shucks off his jeans and crawls into bed, and Rhett watches him from their ensuite bathroom. He's clearly devastated, and Rhett tries not to take any longer than necessary so he can comfort his best friend and lover. 

Coming to rest behind him, Link suddenly rolls over, wrapping his arms around Rhett's chest and shuddering softly. Rhett kisses Link's head and rubs his back, and Link doesn't stop shaking.

“It wasn't meant to happen like this,” Link mutters, and Rhett nods and shushes him softly.

“It's okay, we can handle it,” Rhett says, “Just go to sleep, alright?”

Link nods weakly and tries to relax against Rhett's chest, and Rhett keeps soothingly petting his hair in a gentle rhythm. Rhett knows what Link's worried about, remembering the harsh words and passing punches from other kids in middleschool because Link was _different._ With the shame from their church too... 

No wonder it took thirty years for them to be themselves. Rhett was just glad they could be themselves, together. 

He drifts into an uncomfortable sleep, arms still wrapped tight around Link's frame. 

They're woken up but Rhett's phone ringing on the nightstand. He clumsily reaches over to answer as Link sits up and rubs his eyes, and he frowns when he sees Stevie’s caller ID. 

He unlocks his phone and puts it on speaker again, “Hey, Stevie, what's up?”

“Uh, bad news guys, it looks like there's a drama channel prepping a story about you two,” Stevie says, and Link turns away, embarrassed. “They tweeted about an ‘exciting story going up today’ with the picture from Instagram…” 

“Okay,” Rhett sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, “Um, I guess we'll start getting ready to talk about it, uh… Avoid posting anything on personal accounts they could use against us, okay? Tell the whole crew that.”

“I will,” Stevie says. There's a pause, as if she's trying to find the words, “I'm sorry.”

Link sits up immediately, “No, Stevie, this isn't your fault, okay? You did everything you could.”

“Yeah!” Rhett says, “Go to sleep now, okay? You sound exhausted. We’ll write something and come in to film it Sunday.” 

“See you then, sorry you had to come out this way…” She says, quietly, before Rhett wishes her a good night and hangs up. Link lets out a shuddering sigh and runs his hand through his hair.

He's shaking, and Rhett rubs his arm and pulls him into a small hug.

“I think I'm gonna have a panic attack,” Link says, softly, “I- I'm freaking out, a little, I'm freaking out.”

Rhett holds him closer and kisses his forehead, “Let's just try and get more sleep, we're freaking out because we're tired.”

Link wraps his arms around Rhett’s torso and whimpers, and Rhett pulls him back down onto the bed. His breathing is fast and shallow, and Rhett’s trying to disguise his own panic by focusing on the feel of Link’s t-shirt beneath his fingers. Its coarse from overwashing, and Rhett repeatedly scratches his nail against a small hole near the hem. 

They both drift into uncomfortable sleeps, limbs tangled and eyes squeezed tightly shut. Rhett dreams about smoke, and fire, and he is almost relieved as his phone’s alarm loudly plays against the nightstand. 

Groggily sitting up, he switches the alarm off and checks the time, Link sitting up and rubbing his eyes meekly. Rhett gives him a good morning kiss and asks if he wants coffee, and Link nods and lays back down in bed as Rhett stands up. 

He sleepily ambles downstairs and checks his emails, seeing more updates from Stevie and Becca and deciding to avoid reading them. There’s a few encouraging and confused texts from their mutual friends, and Rhett decides to fill them in as he waits for the water to boil. 

As he accidentally taps on a Twitter Highlights notification he feels his heart sink into his stomach. His mentions are full of people talking about him and Link, and before he knows it, he’s reading every tweet. 

He makes a mental tally of all the abuse, each slur getting another check as he scrolls down in silence. He starts trying to block people, but it’s overwhelming, each comment having another five just like it. The saucepan on the stove boils over and draws his attention away from one now ex-viewers rant and he realises he’s crying. 

He wipes his eyes and turns the gas off, grinding his coffee beans as the water cools down. He tips his coffee and water into his coffee press and lets it steep, gently lowering himself to sit on the kitchen floor to open his emails again. He types quickly, asking all crew members to try and crack down and report abusive accounts, and quickly adds everyone in. He hopes Link is avoiding his phone upstairs and tries to quickly press their coffees to head back up to see him. 

He gently pushes the door open with his shoulder as he carries their mugs, Link's with cream and Rhett's with almond milk. Link sits up a little in bed and Rhett passes him the Tom of Finland inspired mug, and Rhett avoids Link's sleepy, glasses-less gaze. 

“Were you crying?” Link asks, taking a small sip of his coffee and nursing the mug in his hands.

Rhett sighs, “Yeah, don't go on Twitter anytime soon, it's awful.” 

Link nods knowingly and awkwardly twiddles his fingers. Rhett moves closer and gives him a gentle kiss, and Link smiles weakly. 

Rhett sets his mug down on his bedside table and pulls Link into a hug. He hears Link curse about spilling coffee on the linen and Rhett pulls him closer. Link quickly sets the rest of his coffee down and hugs Rhett back, drawing his thumb over the nape of Rhett's neck and trying to help calm him down. 

“We can get through this,” Rhett murmurs, and Link knows he's mostly talking to himself. 

“I love you, no matter what happens, okay?” Link replies, and Rhett nods. 

They drink their coffees in silence, ignoring their phones yet still giving them wary glances. Rhett hopes that the more sane viewers will take a stand and give them a little more time.

Link swirls his dregs in his cup and sets it back down, stretching his arms until his shoulders click. He gives Rhett a small smile and gets out of bed, and Rhett watches as he gets dressed for the day.

Rhett can tell he's still on edge, and he feels a horrible pang of guilt seeing the man he loves so upset. 

_Would this have happened if Rhett hadn't kissed him?_

_Would this have happened if Rhett hadn't suggested the walk?_

“Stop it,” Link says, and Rhett blinks up at him in confusion, “You're thinking about something and freaking out, stop it.” Rhett laughs softly and Link kisses his forehead, “Let's start writing this thing, huh?” 

//

They sit and talk, and Rhett types. 

Link struggles to get his thoughts across, and Rhett gives him a small smile and helps translate for him. 

It's a frustrating process, writing out a paragraph and then quickly reading and rereading it until it's edited down to a sentence. Link makes them both another mug of coffee and Rhett holds his hand over the table. 

They eventually write a page, and then two.

They take turns reading their lines, hands still clasped together as they ask for privacy.  
Link's crying again as they reach the last few lines, and Rhett moves closer to wipe his eyes and hug him softly. 

“I won't cry during the actual take, I promise,” Link says, sniffling quietly and rubbing his eyes. 

“It doesn't matter if you do, okay? You're allowed to cry,” Rhett says, “It think we've earned it at this point.”

Link chuckles softly and hugs Rhett closer.

“Can we push filming to today? I don't wanna wait anymore and have it get worse,” Link says, and Rhett nods and kisses his cheek. 

“I'll call Stevie in, we’ll email the files to someone,” Rhett says, “I'll meet you in the car, okay?”

Link nods and wipes his eyes again, sitting back and grabbing his shoes from in front of the door. He hears Rhett talking to Stevie in the kitchen, and he gives Jade a small head scratch as she sits next to his feet. He scoops her up and gives her a cuddle, and Rhett wanders out and smiles at them both. 

“Ready to go?” Rhett asks.

Link sighs softly and sets Jade down as Rhett pulls his shoes on, and Link lifts Rhett’s laptop bag onto his shoulder. He follows Rhett out to their car, and Link chews his nails as Rhett drives. 

Stevie is waiting outside for them as the pull into their parking space, and she gives them both a sad, yet comforting smile and holds the door open.

 

She's the only one with them in the studio, and Rhett gives her a brief hug before taking his seat at the desk. Link joins him and holds Rhett's hand over the table. It's a soothing touch as Rhett sets the laptop in front of them and Stevie starts recording. 

The speech is recorded after three takes, and Link says he'll edit it personally. 

Rhett promptly excuses himself and makes a beeline for their office, and Link rubs the back of his neck and watches him go.

“How are you two doing?” Stevie asks, gently, and Link gives a weak shrug.

“I think Rhett's taking it pretty rough, he had to see all those comments about us,” Link says, “I think he's internalising everything.”

Stevie nods and pats Link on the shoulder, “I’ll start the editing if you want to check on him.” 

Link nods. 

He tiptoes into their office, and he can hear Rhett in the nap loft. He's obviously crying, and Link creeps up the steps and quietly settles down on the beanbag behind him. Rhett threads their fingers together on his chest and Link kisses his neck and cuddles closer to him.

“Link?” He mumbles, making Link pause and sit up slightly. His voice is barely above a whisper, weak and vulnerable, “What if this makes it worse?”

“It won't,” Link says, “Us not saying nothin’ is making it worse, everyone's just having a free-for-all.”

Rhett shrugs weakly and pulls Link closer. Link kisses his neck gently and Rhett lets out a small laugh, “This _sucks._ ”

Link sits up to kiss his cheek, “I know. But hopefully it'll start to get better?”

Rhett turns slightly and looks up at Link, “Hopefully.”

“Maybe after this we can embrace it a little more,” Link says, “It was getting real hard not to be close to you when we were filming.”

Rhett smiles, “That would be nice.” He pauses and leans up for a small kiss, “I love you.”

Link hums happily and kisses him back, “I love you too, let go edit this video, huh?”

The video goes public that night, and Rhett sits and refreshes the page to read the comments. 

He's prepared for the negativity, as always, frowning at each slur and happily reporting the users he sees. He grimaces as he spots a group of fans discussing his sex habits and quickly scrolls past. 

Link wanders in with their drinks, a latte and a green tea for Rhett, and sits down on the couch beside him. Rhett instinctively lifts his arm and allows Link to cuddle closer to him.

“How’s it going?” Link asks, nervously.

Rhett shrugs and takes his tea, “Mostly good, I guess.” He watches Link take a long sip and frowns slightly, “You alright?”

Link shrugs and smiles a little, “Can I post a picture of us kissing?” 

Rhett laughs and sits up more, “Sure, my hair look okay?” 

Link stifles a small laugh and runs his hands through Rhett’s thick hair, “It’s fine, you take it, you have longer arms.”

“Yours are long too!” Rhett giggles, capturing their genuine smiles as Link rests his hand on Rhett’s chest and kisses his cheek. Rhett takes a few and gives Link his phone, “I definitely look a mess in at least four of those.”

Link kisses his cheek again, “It’ll be my revenge after all those sleeping pictures.” Link says. “I’ll thank people for their support too.”

Rhett kisses Link’s forehead and cuddles him close again, “I love you, Link Neal.”

“I love you, too, Rhett McLaughlin.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, kudos and comments are very much appreciated.
> 
> have a good day/night wherever you are.


End file.
